The day of departure soon arrived. Early in the morning, the two of them headed out. Xiyu was rather reluctant to leave and had to be dragged along by Shi Xing for quite a while before finally coming out.

 

Ji Yu had rented a car in advance and was searching on his phone for directions to the airport.

 

Just then, an unexpected guest appeared. Chen Jiayu came downstairs at some point and nodded slightly at Shi Xing before asking first,
“Would it be convenient to give us a ride?”

 

Before Shi Xing could answer, Ji Yu spoke coldly,
“It’s not convenient.”

 

Chen Jiayu chuckled lazily.
“Hey, don’t be so stingy. We really are in a rush to catch a flight.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, a bespectacled man hurried over from the other side and said anxiously,
“There isn’t a single car around here right now.”

 

Seeing this, Shi Xing asked tentatively,
“Why don’t we just give them a ride?”

 

Ji Yu said nothing more. A strange irritation surged up inside him, and after a slight pause, he unlocked the car.

 

The bespectacled man thanked him repeatedly in excitement.

 

Chen Jiayu pushed his tongue against his left cheek and snorted with a faint laugh.
“Thanks.”

 

Ji Yu’s dark eyes dimmed slightly. He pressed his lips together and did not respond.

 

The entire drive was unusually quiet, except for Xiyu barking a couple of times now and then.

 

When they arrived at the airport, Chen Jiayu stepped out of the car with his long legs, turned back, and waved at Shi Xing.

 

“See you next time,” he said meaningfully.

 

The bespectacled man hurriedly pulled him away, smiling awkwardly in apology.

 

Shi Xing glanced at Ji Yu’s expression and secretly let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, he didn’t seem angry.

 

Just then, Ji Yu suddenly leaned down toward her. Shi Xing’s breath caught for a moment, but in the next second, he simply reached over and unbuckled her seat belt.

 

“Get out of the car,” he said calmly.

 

He didn’t tease her as usual. Shi Xing could tell he was probably sulking.

 

Taking advantage of the moment after getting out of the car, she quickly ran up and took his hand, saying softly,
“Let’s go together.”

 

Ji Yu froze for a moment. His gaze flickered slightly before he replied quietly,
“Okay.”

 

Fortunately, nothing else happened along the way. By the time they returned to China, it was already evening. The temperature in Jinggang City was much lower than when they had left. Even Shi Xing’s breath turned into white mist in the air. The cold wind howled past her ears, stinging her skin.

 

Ji Yu took her straight back to his place. After Shi Xing finished putting her things away, she picked up her clothes and was about to take a shower when a sudden, heavy pain spread through her lower abdomen, like countless needles stabbing her.

 

She couldn’t help letting out a small hiss.

 

Ji Yu had just come downstairs. Seeing her like this, he hurried over.

 

“Does your stomach hurt?”

 

Shi Xing nodded slightly. She wondered if she had eaten something bad on the plane. Just then, a warm flow slowly spread below her.

 

She immediately understood what was happening. The tips of her ears turned red in an instant.

 

Seeing her expression, Ji Yu quickly realized what it was. A moment later, he somehow produced a sanitary pad and handed it to her.

 

“Right on time,” he said quietly.

 

Shi Xing took it and hurried into the bathroom.

 

After she finished showering and came out, she found a steaming cup of brown sugar water already set on the table.

 

Ji Yu was standing in the corner feeding Xiyu, the dim light making his expression hard to see.

 

Shi Xing leaned closer and sniffed the drink. She frowned slightly. She had never liked brown sugar water since she was young. Strangely enough, whenever she was on her period, she especially craved iced drinks.

 

Because of this habit, her period pain was always severe, and she had to rely on painkillers to get through it.

 

Ying Xiaoxiao often teased her,
“You study traditional Chinese medicine, yet you take such poor care of yourself.”

 

Shi Xing never really cared. And every time the pain passed, she still failed to learn her lesson.

 

Sure enough, not long after her shower, the familiar pain came back.

 

At some point, Ji Yu walked up beside her and bent down slightly.

 

“Why aren’t you drinking it?” he asked gently.

 

“I don’t want to,” Shi Xing said as she lay down on the sofa to rest.

 

Ji Yu lowered his gaze to look at her, amusement in his voice.

 

“You really won’t drink it?”

 

“I don’t want to,” she repeated impatiently, irritated by the pain.

 

Ji Yu raised an eyebrow and didn’t force her.

 

“Then I’ll pour it out.”

 

Shi Xing lifted her eyes slightly, a bit startled. After thinking for a moment, she clenched her teeth and said,
“I’ll drink it myself.”

 

She took the bowl from his hand and drank it all in one go.

 

Ji Yu curved his lips faintly, as if he had expected it. He picked up a blanket beside him and draped it over her.

 

In the middle of the night, when Shi Xing got up to look for something to drink in the kitchen, she discovered that the refrigerator—once completely full—was now totally empty.

 

Suddenly, the light behind her turned on.

 

She turned around and saw Ji Yu standing behind her, looking at her with an unreadable expression.

 

“What are you looking for?” he asked.

 

Shi Xing smiled awkwardly.
“I’m a little thirsty. I wanted to find something to drink.”

 

Ji Yu’s brows moved slightly. He walked over unhurriedly, poured a glass of water, and handed it to her.

 

“Drink.”

 

Having no choice, Shi Xing accepted the cup and took small sips.

 

“Does your stomach still hurt?” he asked quietly, his eyes lowered and his gaze growing serious.

 

Shi Xing shook her head in surprise. It really did feel much better than usual this time.

 

While she was still dazed, Ji Yu bent down and scooped her up in his arms.

 

“It gets cold at night. Don’t drink iced drinks anymore,” he said in a low voice.

 

She froze for a moment. After he carried her back to bed, the distance between them became much closer.

 

Her breathing grew warm. Just as she was about to find an excuse to pull away, she realized Ji Yu had no such intentions.

 

He gently placed his hand over her lower abdomen and softened his voice.

 

“Does this feel better?”

 

His palm was very warm, and the heat spread into her stomach.

 

Shi Xing felt a little embarrassed. Seeing how serious he was, she realized she had overthought things. She nodded lightly and fell asleep in his arms that night.

 

The next day at work, she felt much more energetic.

 

After the long holiday, everything was still overwhelmingly busy.

 

Many athletes were preparing intensely for the next round of competitions. As soon as Shi Xing arrived, she immediately threw herself into work.

 

While helping with bandaging, she chatted with several athletes.

 

“Brother Xu, you’re still pushing yourself this hard at your age?” one of the team doctors joked.

 

Xu Kailiang lowered his head and let out a bitter smile. Deep down, he knew very well that the next competition would probably be his last chance to compete.

 

After all, he was already over thirty. The national table tennis system renewed its ranks quickly, and a large group of young players in their early twenties were ready to take over.

 

If he didn’t give it everything this time, his career would be full of regrets.

 

Looking at him, Shi Xing encouraged him softly,
“You can do it, Brother Xu.”

 

But in her heart, she knew all too well that competitive sports never lack regret. Since she was young, she had seen countless athletes retire with unfulfilled dreams.

 

For an athlete, the cruelest thing is to begin with passion and hope, to once stand under thunderous applause, and then, as age catches up and physical ability declines, to watch their results slowly fall, never again reaching the peak of their youth—watching what once belonged to them slip away little by little, becoming a long, dull ache.

 

No one stays young forever. But there will always be someone young.

 

On the road of competitive sports, there is never a shortage of passionate fools.

 

Xu Kailiang nodded and said to Shi Xing with quiet determination,
“I’ll skip today’s rehabilitation session. I think I can hold on a bit longer. I want to take this time to go practice my techniques.”

 

With that, he got up and hurried toward the table.

 

Shi Xing watched his departing figure, filled with mixed emotions.

 

After work, she noticed a missed call from an unfamiliar number.

 

She answered in confusion.

 

“Hello, who is this?”

 

Static crackled on the line, followed by the voice of a mature woman.

 

“It’s me, Shi Xing.”

 

Shi Xing froze for a moment before reacting.
“Aunt Ji?”

 

Ji Yu’s mother chuckled softly and said calmly,
“I’ve returned to China. Shall we talk tonight?”

 

Hearing this, Shi Xing frowned slightly. Years ago, it had been after a conversation with this very woman that she and Ji Yu had separated for so many years.

 

As if sensing her hesitation, Ji’s mother spoke again in a low voice,
“I have something you’ll be very interested in. If you don’t want to stay in the dark for the rest of your life, come find me tonight at the café on Jiefang Road.”

 

With that, she hung up.

 

Shi Xing stood there, holding her phone, unable to move for a long time.

 

By evening, night gradually fell, and the remaining glow of the sunset drifted into the café.

 

A well-made-up woman sat in the corner, slowly sipping her coffee. She glanced at the clock on the wall and curled her lips in a confident smile.

 

The moment the wind chime on the door rang in the cold breeze, Shi Xing appeared at the entrance.

 

Their eyes met briefly. Shi Xing then walked toward the corner.

 

As she approached, the woman spoke first.

 

“Sit.”

 

Shi Xing hesitated slightly, then sat down and asked directly,
“What exactly is this about?”

 

Ji Yu’s mother ignored her question and said calmly,
“I really didn’t expect you two to get back together.”

 

Shi Xing felt dissatisfied hearing this, but said nothing.

 

Seeing her expression, Ji’s mother laughed softly.
“Aren’t you curious why you were reinstated?”

 

Shi Xing’s expression changed slightly. Her brows moved almost imperceptibly.

 

“You know?”

 

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman took out a thick stack of documents from her bag. Shi Xing glanced at them—and froze.

 

They were filled with records of Ji Yu’s recent commercial endorsements.

 

“What is this?” Shi Xing looked up at her, a bad feeling rising in her chest.

 

Ji’s mother lifted the corner of her lips in a faint, mocking smile.

 

“These are the endorsements Ji Yu received after Huo Sikai was removed from the national team.”

 

“What does this have to do with my reinstatement?”

 

Ji’s mother smiled and motioned for her to continue reading.